KATHMANDU: Two workers trapped inside a hydropower project tunnel in Nepal were rescued alive on Thursday, nearly 10 days after flash floods cut off access to the site, officials said.

The workers had been trapped inside the tunnel after heavy rains triggered flash floods and landslides in the area. Mud and floodwater reportedly blocked the tunnel, severing communication with the outside world and leaving the workers stranded in darkness.

One of those rescued was 30-year-old Sanjay Shah, a resident of Saptari district. He had been working in the control room of the hydropower project when the floods struck.

For days, rescue teams faced difficulties in reaching the trapped workers because of the accumulation of mud and water inside the tunnel. The rescue operation continued despite challenging conditions, with teams working to clear the blocked passages and establish access to the workers.

The survival of the two workers for about 10 days has been described as remarkable, given the conditions inside the tunnel.

Nepal has witnessed several incidents of flash floods and landslides during periods of intense rainfall, particularly in mountainous and hilly regions. Hydropower projects are especially vulnerable to such weather-related disruptions because of their location and extensive tunnel networks.

Authorities are continuing rescue and relief operations in areas affected by the recent floods and landslides, while efforts are also under way to assess damage to infrastructure.

NEW DELHI, September 4: The El Niño weather phenomenon, known to influence global temperatures and trigger extreme weather events, is likely to persist through February 2027, according to the latest assessment by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).

The WMO has warned that El Niño conditions could strengthen in the coming months, raising the risk of significant changes in weather patterns across several parts of the world. The phenomenon is associated with unusually warm sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean.

A stronger El Niño could contribute to extreme heat, droughts, heavy rainfall and flooding in different regions. The effects could also be felt across sectors such as agriculture, water resources, fisheries, energy and public health.

The WMO has stressed that El Niño does not produce the same weather conditions everywhere. While some regions could face reduced rainfall and drought, others could experience unusually heavy precipitation and flooding.

For India, the development is being closely watched because El Niño can influence the southwest monsoon. However, its impact on the Indian monsoon is not uniform, and other climate factors, including the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) and the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO), can also influence rainfall patterns.

Weather agencies are expected to continue monitoring the evolution of the Pacific Ocean and its possible implications for regional weather conditions. The persistence of El Niño into early 2027 could make advance preparedness particularly important for agriculture, water management and disaster response.

Climate experts have also emphasised the need for timely advisories and preparedness measures as the likelihood of extreme weather events increases in different parts of the world.

SAN JOSE, September 4: Indian-origin technology executive Anil Chakravarthy has been appointed as the next President and Chief Executive Officer of US-based software major Adobe, succeeding long-serving CEO Shantanu Narayen. Mr. Chakravarthy will assume the new role on December 1, 2026, and will also join Adobe’s Board of Directors.

Mr. Narayen, who has led Adobe as CEO for more than 18 years, will transition to the role of Executive Chair. He will continue to work closely with Mr. Chakravarthy to ensure a smooth leadership transition and support the company’s transformation.

Mr. Chakravarthy is currently President of Adobe’s Customer Experience Orchestration business and worldwide field operations. He joined Adobe in January 2020 as Executive Vice-President and General Manager of its Digital Experience business. He subsequently took on additional responsibilities overseeing worldwide field operations and was promoted to President of Digital Experience and worldwide field operations in December 2021.

Before joining Adobe, Mr. Chakravarthy served as the Chief Executive Officer of cloud data-management company Informatica for four years. Earlier, he held senior positions at Symantec, VeriSign and McKinsey & Company.

An alumnus of the Institute of Technology, Varanasi, Mr. Chakravarthy holds a Bachelor of Technology degree in Computer Science and Engineering. He also earned a Master’s degree and a PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

His appointment comes at a crucial time for Adobe as the software industry undergoes rapid changes driven by artificial intelligence. The company is facing increasing competition from AI-focused challengers, while working to strengthen its own AI-powered products and services.

Mr. Chakravarthy said he was honoured to lead Adobe at what he described as a pivotal moment and emphasised the company’s opportunity to drive growth in the era of AI and agentic software. Adobe said his leadership would focus on accelerating innovation across creativity, productivity and customer experience.

The leadership change marks the end of an important chapter for Adobe under Mr. Narayen, who has overseen the company's transformation into a major cloud-based software business during his tenure as CEO.

COLOMBO, September 4: Sri Lankan authorities on Friday arrested parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa, son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, in connection with an ongoing corruption investigation into the purchase of Airbus aircraft by national carrier SriLankan Airlines.

Mr. Namal Rajapaksa, a lawmaker belonging to the opposition Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), was summoned by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) to record a statement in connection with the controversial aircraft transaction. He was questioned for more than five hours before being taken into custody.

The investigation relates to the purchase of Airbus aircraft for SriLankan Airlines in 2013. The deal, reportedly valued at about $2.3 billion, involved the proposed acquisition of 10 Airbus aircraft and was approved during Mahinda Rajapaksa’s presidency. The transaction was subsequently cancelled by a new government in 2016.

According to the anti-corruption investigation, allegations centre on payments allegedly made in connection with the aircraft transaction. CIABOC has said its investigation includes statements from a Sri Lankan businessman, information provided by Airbus officials in France and electronic and other evidence gathered during the probe.

Mr. Rajapaksa has consistently denied wrongdoing and has previously rejected allegations of corruption. His family has described corruption allegations against them as politically motivated.

After his arrest, Mr. Rajapaksa was produced before the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court. The court ordered that he be kept in remand custody until September 18.

The Airbus investigation is part of a wider international corruption case. In 2020, Airbus reached settlements with authorities in France, the United Kingdom and the United States following investigations into allegations of bribery in aircraft sales, agreeing to pay about $4 billion to resolve the cases.

NEW DELHI, September 4: A fresh debate over Chinese President Xi Jinping’s health and the country’s future leadership has emerged following remarks by former Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) president Lobsang Sangay, who has claimed that Mr. Xi may have suffered two or three heart attacks.

In a recently released ANI Podcast interview, Mr. Sangay said a former senior Chinese official had told him about the alleged health episodes. However, there is no official confirmation or publicly available medical report to substantiate the claim.

Mr. Sangay also alleged that Mr. Xi has been under considerable mental and political pressure and claimed that changes could be noticed in his facial expressions and walking style. He further suggested that the Chinese President may be experiencing what he described as “mental fog” because of health problems, potentially affecting his decision-making.

The former Tibetan political leader linked the alleged pressure on Mr. Xi to recent developments within China’s military and defence establishment. He claimed that the removal of senior military generals and defence officials, as well as the sudden disappearance of some officials from public view, could be connected to the Chinese President’s growing pressure.

Mr. Sangay also raised questions over the issue of succession in China. According to him, Mr. Xi faces a difficult dilemma over naming a successor. A powerful leader who openly designates a successor could potentially create a rival with enough influence to challenge his authority, while failing to designate one could lead to a power struggle after his departure, he argued.

There has been no indication from Chinese authorities that Mr. Xi is suffering from serious health problems. The claims made by Mr. Sangay remain unverified.

Who is Lobsang Sangay?

Lobsang Sangay served as the elected political head, or Sikyong, of the Central Tibetan Administration in Dharamshala from 2011 to 2021. A long-time critic of China's policies towards Tibet, he is currently a Senior Visiting Fellow at Harvard Law School.

PORT HARCOURT: A major tragedy was reported in Nigeria’s Rivers State after several people allegedly inhaled toxic fumes while attempting to siphon crude oil from a pipeline, with local environmental groups claiming that 37 people may have died.

The incident reportedly took place around midnight on Thursday in the Okrika area of Rivers State. The death toll, however, has not yet been officially confirmed by the authorities.

According to YEAC-Nigeria, an environmental non-governmental organisation, a group of people allegedly made an illegal connection to an oil pipeline and attempted to divert crude oil into their boats. Toxic gases are believed to have been released during the operation, leaving several people unconscious and reportedly causing multiple deaths.

The organisation said some people were still unaccounted for following the incident.

The police confirmed that the incident was linked to an alleged attempt to steal crude oil but did not provide details of the number of casualties.

Rivers State police spokesperson Blessing Kaborl Agabe said an investigation was under way to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the incident and establish the number of people affected.

Nigeria has long struggled with illegal oil tapping and crude theft, particularly in the oil-rich Niger Delta region, where such activities have also raised concerns over environmental damage and public safety.

కాఠ్‌మాండూ: నేపాల్‌లో అల్లర్లు తారాస్థాయికి చేరుకున్నాయి. సోషల్ మీడియా నిషేధంతో ప్రారంభమైన ఆందోళనలు తీవ్ర రూపం దాల్చాయి. ఈ పరిణామాల మధ్య నేపాల్ ప్రధాని కెపి శర్మ ఒలీ తన పదవికి రాజీనామా చేశారు. సైన్యం సూచన మేరకు ఆయన పదవి నుంచి తప్పుకున్నారని సమాచారం. సోషల్ మీడియాపై నిషేధం ఎత్తివేసినా అల్లర్లు ఆగకపోవడం గమనార్హం.

అవినీతి నిర్మూలన కోసం విద్యార్థులు, యువత భారీ ఎత్తున వీధుల్లోకి వచ్చారు. కాఠ్‌మాండూ సహా అనేక జిల్లాల్లో నిరసనలు ఉధృతమయ్యాయి. మాజీ ప్రధానులు, మంత్రుల ఇళ్లపై రాళ్ల దాడులు జరిపారు. ఆందోళనకారులను అణిచివేసేందుకు భద్రతా బలగాలు కాల్పులకు తెగబడ్డాయి. ఈ ఘర్షణల్లో 20 మంది ప్రాణాలు కోల్పోయారు.

ఇప్పటికే పలువురు మంత్రులు పదవులకు రాజీనామా చేశారు. నైతిక బాధ్యత వహిస్తూ హోం మంత్రి లేఖక్ తన పదవి నుంచి తప్పుకున్నారు. తాజాగా ప్రధాని ఒలీ రాజీనామాతో నేపాల్ పగ్గాలు తాత్కాలికంగా సైన్యం చేతుల్లోకి వెళ్లనున్నాయని రాజకీయ వర్గాల్లో చర్చ జరుగుతోంది.